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This is an important andRARE Vintage Modern Hawaiian Polynesian Tongan Man Portrait Painting, natural indigenous dyes on tapa cloth, by renowned Australian-born Tongan painter, June \"Sune\" Egan. This artwork depicts the portrait of a young Tongan man, staring warmly at the viewer, with his legs crossed and wearing a traditional patterned lavalava sarong wrap around his waist. Signed and dated: \"Sune 1977\" in the lower right corner. Sune got her natural canvas by pounding the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree against a flattened log with a wooden mallet, and used a brown dye called tongo for the ink. It is said that this is the first time in Polynesian history where tapa cloth was used to create representational paintings. Approximately 27 x 33 1/4 inches (including frame.) Actual visible artwork is approximately 18 x 23 1/2 inches. Good condition for age, considering the very delicate nature of the tapa cloth canvas, with a few small and barely noticeable tears visible at the right edge of the artwork. Additionally, there is moderate scuffing and edge wear to the original period frame (please see photos.) Acquired from an old estate in Los Angeles County, California. Sune\'s early artworks are incredibly scarce, and this is one of the best examples to have ever been offered for sale. Her paintings were widely exhibited and sold in Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji and Tonga during the 1970\'s. Sune\'s artworks have received the prestigiousRoyal Appointment decree by the Tongan Queen Havaevalu Mata\'aho and hang in Buckingham Palace, the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, the TaiwaneseEmbassy, Friendly Island Hotel, and the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks!
About the Artist:
THE ART OF SUNE EGAN
June Egan, better known as her Tongan name “Sune”, recalls her first visit to Tonga in 1974. “Inspired by the physical beauty of the people and the lush surrounds, I vowed to return, armed with art supplies and time.”
She returned two years later. Sune painted canvases that were soon depleted, leaving her to use the plain white tapa or the feta’aki. She found the subtle sheen and texture too beautiful to be corrupted by colour. Instead, she opted for the sepia tones of indigenous dyes made from tree bark. These were possibly the first representational paintings on tapa.
They were soon noticed by buyers from Hawaii and Tahiti, and a small export trade began. As tourists became more prevalent in Tonga, she widened her range to include fabric dyeing and painting for a series of beachwear designs from dresses, shorts, suits, aloha shirts and tee shirts, to the simple sarong wraps (lavalava) for men, women and children holiday makers, cards and calandars.
The yachting season often found her in Vava’u painting for Vava’us Paradise Hotel gift shop, her first murals in Tonga were created there in the Hotel conference rooms. Since then, paintings hang in prominent buildings and private homes through the islands.
Sune’s work has been admired and purchased by Tonga’s Royal Family, both personally and for gifts for overseas dignitaries. Some have gone to Prince Edward and Princess Dianna of England.
“I have work hanging in Buckingham Palace, if only in the wardrobe in the form of aloha shirts for Prince Edward, at the request of Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho”. Another such Royal gift is a tapa painting hanging in Red Cross headquarters in Geneva.
Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho has given permission to sign her work by Royal appointment.
Prior to Tonga, Sune went to National Art School in East Sydney. She bounced about between formal art painting and sculpture, fashion design and commercial art.
Sune began her career working as a press artist for the Australian Women’s Weekly. She created her own comic strip “Holly”, which was printed in the Sydney’s Sunday Sun, Brisbane Courier Mail and Melbourne Age.
During several years in advertising, she illustrated fashion designs to children’s story books and book covers.
In 1985, her son Shane and his family joined her. TheycreatedBlue Banana Studios, currently located in Fund Management House in Nuku’alofa. Sune is a woman who is passionate about her work, and grins as she asks, “What does retiring mean”?
A FEW FACTS FROM AN OLDER ARTICLE WHEN SHE LIVED IN PAHU;
Work hangs in: Friendly Island Hotel, international dateline, Embassy of the Republic of China, Bishop Museum in Hawaii.
Among her subjects is Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita.
Pencil sketches on Princess Pilolevu’s daughter Lupepau’u
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